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360MC: – Music Video research – Bad example of a music video

Whilst speaking with a student from my course who produces music videos as a side project with his own business; Silent Syndicate, I was able to obtain valuable information as to approaches to take and elements to include during the production and filming of the videos. I was linked a music video that was described to me as ‘how not to make a music video’. After watching the above music video, it is evident to see why. The filming of the video has no momentum or movement throughout the entire song, and is filmed in multiple angles in static shots. The only ‘movement’ that is somewhat in the video is through fast camera zooms, although these were added in during post and look incredibly distracting and amateur in my opinion.

As my three music videos will be filmed on little to no budget (except outside of props and other related material) my music video will be similar in approach to the one above. That being said, I think the execution and planning of the above music video is incredibly questionable. There are not a great variety of shots throughout the video, mostly filmed in long or mid shot of either the entire band or a single member. All of the shots are filmed from the front with no extreme close-ups or shots of the instruments during the intricate solos. With a boring music video, it greatly drains the life out of the song both musically and lyrically which is a shame as I personally think that the song itself is fantastic. The video is meant to complement and enhance the feel and tone of the song but this just does not shine through in this particular instance. As the song would fall into the Power Metal genre, all sense of power aside from what can still come through in the song seems to dissipate and is therefore left with a very flat and lifeless viewing experience. The fact that the video is also not shot in high-definition hinders the sense of professionalism and overall visual quality of the video, which in today’s incredibly competitive music industry could greatly hinder the band’s chances of an online presence.

And example of a music video that is in the same genre as We Must Go Faster by ReinXeed and has a similar concept of being a solely band focussed video is DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames.

The resounding difference that separates these videos is in terms of budget. DragonForce has high-definition cameras as well as impressive lighting effects. However these are all aesthetics that elevate the video professionally and in terms of visual quality. The main fault in ReinXeed’s video is the complete absence of momentum and movement of which DragonForce has a lot. There are a lot of variety of shots in Through the Fire and Flames with close ups of instruments, low angle and high angle shots, silhouettes against the lighting, close-ups of each member of the band as well as the camera being positioned at different orientations unlike ReinXeed’s which was all filmed from the front. For a video to be successful, it must share the same energy, mood, tone and pace as the song it is made for.

In conclusion, I have taken a lot away from this particular music video and this has offered me a template of how not to make a video. Although two of my three videos will be band orientated, I can see how poorly they could turn out should they all be shot in that particular way. This has made me realise the importance of finalising an editing plan as well as a list of shots to follow on the day in order to come up with a great variety of shots that will hold the viewers’ attention and complement the song accordingly throughout the entire length of the video.